HOT in Borneo

Saturday, May 24, 2009--Kota Kinabalu

KK, as Kota Kinabalu is known here, has a Sunday market that is popular. It's not really for tourists, so that makes it better. Many people go to shop for pets, plants, food products, gifts, etc. It is on a street just a couple of blocks from my hotel. I spent the morning wandering the market. Mainly, I just watched the people, since I wasn't interested in buying anything. The children here are so cute; most were dressed up for their day at the market with their finest clothing and had their hair set in place with gel or with pins. I enjoyed watching them admire the toys, interact with the pets, etc. And the parents, of course, loved seeing me admiring their children.

Tourism here is limited. It's off the more followed routes in Asia. That's rather nice. I saw tourists, but the market was not overwhelmed with them the way that some are in places like Thailand. Most that I have seen are young backpackers, and there are many backpacker places with cheap rooms and even dormitory rooms where a bed is bought for an even cheaper price.

I'm staying in my usual small hotel--Pantai Inn. It wasn't my first choice, but the e-mails and the phone calls to the place I wanted didn't work. The phone was answered at Pantai, and that was important since I was arriving here at almost midnight and wanted a reservation in advance. I only made a reservation for two nights, and I am glad, too. It's a nice enough hotel, but there are two problems--a construction site across the street where piling are being pounded into the ground and very small ants in the hotel room. I have already checked with the hotel I wanted, the May Plaza which is nicer, quieter and slightly cheaper and has a room where I can move tomorrow when my reservation at the Pantai has ended.

The temperatures here are HOT!! It's taking a bit of adjustment. But I won't let that hinder my wanderings. I went to a cyber cafe to update the blog, but found it almost as limiting as the experiences in Canada. It was coin-operated, and I found myself having to rush and do less due to the fact that I was running out of the appropriate size of coin. (Today, I am at one with unlimited use--pay at the end--and with nice new keyboards that make typing much easier and less frustrating!) Then I found a place for a late lunch. It was a delicious noodle soup with a coconut juice base. It had shrimp in it. And it had something else that looked suspicious!! I considered it a don't-ask-don't tell ingredient, since it looked suspicious. It was loop-shaped slices of something that was smooth on the outside and somewhat "hairy" on the inside. It wasn't tough like squid, but they may have been what it was, since shrimp were also in the dish. Of course, it could have been slices of intestine, too.

I bought a big bottle of water and returned to the room. Time zone changes plus the fact I had not slept well at the sauna at Inchon meant I was very tired. I went to sleep at 17:30.

Monday, May 25, 2009--KK

Because I went to bed so early, I awoke early--at 4:00. I just lay in bed and read. I am still going through my guidebook to try to decide what to do here. Also, I have started the first of the novels that I brought with me.

By 8:00, I was packed and ready to leave for my new hotel. Checkout at the Pantai was smooth and check-in at the May Plaza was just as smooth. In fact, they jut let me leave my bags at the hotel and start my wanderings for the day with the understanding that I would return and check-in in the afternoon after they had cleaned the rooms where guests were leaving.

I decided to make it one of my walking/exploring days. Because of the heat, I knew I needed to get started early, but that didn't really help. It was already HOT! I walked to the State Museum. Unfortunately, not all the route was on my map, so I made a wrong turn on one street and went out of my way about half a kilometer (quarter mile) before having to turn around and backtrack. By the time I got to the museum, I was thirsty, since there had been no stores along the route selling water. A small restaurant was across the street, so I went there to have Chinese iced tea to refresh myself and to wait for the 10:00 opening of the museum.

Unfortunately, Malaysia has joined the ranks of countries that gouge tourists by having them pay a much greater amount for entry to tourist attractions than locals pay. The museum cost me 7.5 times what locals pay. I've let the museum, my hotel, and the tourist office know that I think that is a problem that will eventually hurt tourism here. The hotel owner seemed surprised at the difference and concerned; he agreed that it would eventually have a negative effect on his business.

I paid the price for the museum, however, since it is about the only thing to see here. It is a nice museum with photographs of the history of KK and the province of Sabah, exhibits of the native costumes of this area, natural history exhibits of the animals and sea life of the area, etc. The the side of the museum is a wonderful Heritage Village that is included in the price. It has examples of the various types of native houses from the province--bamboo houses, long houses, thatched huts, etc. Some are clustered around a lake, and others are built up a hillside. Inside most of the houses are women producing native crafts that are for sale in the museum store.

On the same grounds is a building with science exhibits and an art gallery with native paintings and weavings. There was no admission charge for it because there has been major water damage from a roof leak. Many of the paintings were stacked against the stairwell walls in the center of the building. It is sad to see the damage--ceiling and lighting fixtures just collapsed. But I saw what I could and appreciated what I did see.

After 3 hours at the museum, I went back across the street to the local restaurant and had lunch. They had a buffet where one chooses a limited number of items. I choose to pay for 4 items and chose the pickled green mango, a leafy green with fish cake, curried chicken, and a chicken dish with a dark sauce. It was served with Chinese tea and rice. Although it was a cold buffet, the food was tasty and good. I ate it all and drank two glasses of the iced tea.

Nearby the museum is the State Mosque, one of the largest and prettiest mosques in Malaysia. It has a wonderful golden dome and a golden turret on top of its tower. I could part of it from the museum, so I walked to it before returning to town.

It was a long, hot walk back into town from there, since it was in the middle of the afternoon. I stopped at a couple of malls buying a 1.5 liter Pepsi Max at one. KK has many failed malls. It's rather sad to see. They do well with the personally-owned kiosks in the middle of the mall, but many of the formal shops are closed and unoccupied. This is a poor region overall, I think.

When I returned, I had walked 26,445 steps. That's a lot in this heat. I was tired. I relaxed in the room and read for a while. Then I went to get a haircut. What a relief it is to have my long hair gone. It was really bothering me, but I had waited to get it cut because I enjoy the experience of getting haircuts in various countries. The man who cut it spoke no English, but he did a good job. With the tip, it was $2.81 U.S.!

Back at the room, I just relaxed and read until I felt I needed to sleep at 21:00.